The present invention relates to an improved roller element for bearing assemblies. Bearings, generally, are simply surfaces or interfaces where moving parts of a device interface with each other in a non-engaged fashion. (I.E. gears or rack-and-pinion systems are not bearings for purposes of this context.) Historically, these surfaces have either slid against each other, or been provided with roller elements which minimize sliding friction and wear. The standard example of the latter is the ball bearing, which incorporates one or more spherical roller elements (“balls”) which are captive between two rotating members of the device. Rather than have a direct planar or linear interface between the rotating members, the balls bear any mechanical load and allow the rotating members to spin freely against each other.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/695,921 (see DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT) an improved bearing assembly was disclosed which addresses many of the shortcomings of traditional ball bearings. However, the improved bearing assembly could still benefit from improved roller elements. An improved roller element which enables such improved bearing assembly to function more efficiently and/or perform additional functions would be a useful invention.
Bearings must often be actively cooled, especially in high-load and/or high-speed applications, as no matter how precisely they are made, rolling friction will still generate heat. Moving a fluid—either a gas, such as atmospheric air, or a liquid, such as water—around and/or through a bearing is a good way to carry away heat via convection, but traditional bearings do not allow an efficient method of fluid cooling. (For purposes of this application “fluid” should be understood to include both gases and liquids unless otherwise specified.) An improved roller element which allows a more effective fluid flow for convection cooling would be a useful invention.
Similarly, bearings must often be lubricated. For the same reasons as set forth in the preceding paragraph, creating an optimal flow of lubricant through a traditional bearing assembly can be difficult. An improved roller element which allows a more optimal flow of lubricant through a bearing assembly would be a useful invention.
Bearings themselves have historically comprised passive assemblies which do not contribute to the motivation of the moving parts the bearing assembly allows to move. If a bearing assembly could itself impart energy to the moving parts, it could allow the creation of more compact and less complicated mechanical devices. An improved roller element which allows the bearing assembly to impart energy to a larger mechanical device would be a useful invention.
Likewise, a bearing assembly which could capture energy for later use when the moving parts the bearing assembly allows to move are slowed or stopped would be economically and environmentally beneficial. An improved roller element which allows the capture of energy when a bearing assembly is slowed or stopped would be a useful invention.
Mechanical devices which incorporate rotating movement are usually stopped either by applying some form of braking friction (e.g. automotive disc brakes, which apply friction to a disc affixed to the wheels to convert motion to heat and slow and/or stop the wheel) or by simply removing the source of motive energy and allowing friction to bring the rotation to a halt (e.g. simply putting an automotive transmission in neutral and allowing the vehicle to coast to a stop.) In many applications, neither of these methods are optimal: the first creates large amounts of heat which must be dispersed and causes mechanical wear, and the second is slow and inconsistent. An improved roller element which would allow mechanical devices to be stopped quickly, reliably and efficiently while minimizing mechanical wear would be a useful invention.
The present invention addresses these concerns.